


Lying to You

by Icie



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, mention of canon sports injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-08
Updated: 2015-12-08
Packaged: 2018-05-05 14:31:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5378585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icie/pseuds/Icie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's something like a meet cute, when Oikawa comes out of the gym after the training match and almost all of Karasuno have gone but Sugawara remained behind as if to run into him.</p><p>- Written for SASO bonus round 3 [<a href="http://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/4771.html?thread=1995939#cmt1995939">link</a>]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lying to You

A different track of time, is what this is, this isn't the path things should have taken. This path is one that leaves Oikawa locking his hands together in front of himself, as he listens to another lecture about overwork. Like he doesn't know. Like he doesn't _understand_ what it could do to him. He's been better - he has! - resting on rest days, listening to Hajime when he yells that _enough is enough, you fuckwad!_. But apparently his warmup wasn't enough, causing him to fumble his last serve and pull his weak ankle.

He forces his expression to remain mild, nodding in the right places and spouting affirmatives where they're needed. Even though he could be _doing something_ right now. Making the right impression is important, as much as he hates the waste.

His ankle hurts from how rigidly he's been standing, but if he lets up on his posture, it will be a dead giveaway that he's not taking in the lesson in the way the coach wants. He'll take care of it, he'll do it properly - get Hajime to regulate him like he's always threatening to do anyway - and he'll heal, heal _properly_ , won't let himself lose track of time with thoughts of catching up to Kageyama.

"Do you understand?"

"Of course, coach. I promise I'll be careful," he says, attempting cheer but knowing he falls short.

Irihata's eyes narrow, but he waves him off and Oikawa escapes, rushing out of the gym in the hopes that he'll still manage to catch Karasuno in time for some parting words.

They're long gone - the lecture must have taken even longer than he thought. His face twists as he reaches the gate without a sign of Karasuno's black uniforms. It's an ugly expression but everyone else is just as absent as Karasuno, so he doesn't try to hide it.

Then, he hears crunching footsteps on the gravel behind him, followed by a mild voice. "Damn, they did say they would leave without me if I didn't hurry up."

It's another of Karasuno's members. Their vice captain, the setter who didn't get to play, Oikawa thinks, though he can't be entirely certain when he hasn't seen him in his position on the court. His words sound resigned, like he's tired from a long day, even though he didn't get to play.

"Sorry, you probably don't need to hear me whining. My house is actually a shorter walk from here than from Karasuno."

Oikawa shrugs, smoothing out his expression into something neutral, if not pleasant. "Is that why they left you?"

"I _did_ tell them to go on without me if I was late. I didn't have any reason to be, after all," he says with a chuckle that doesn't hold much humour.

"I see," Oikawa replies, as if he cares.

"Um," the vice captain says in a fit of articulation. "Are you walking home?"

God, he's not- he wouldn't, would he?

"I was just about to," Oikawa replies. He lets some of his actual irritation in. He wants to go _home._ He wants to go home and think about plays, think about what he saw of Kageyama today. Maybe call Hajime if the building tightness in his stomach gets too bad.

Oikawa's heart sinks as the vice captain asks, "Which way are you going? We might be in the same direction." He's smiling, perhaps a little sheepishly, but something suggests he's holding his expression and tone level for Oikawa's benefit.

Oikawa sniffs, turns past the school and up the path towards his house. "I suppose we'll see if we are." He should fight to get his usual charm back, but he can't be bothered. And this stranger doesn't know him, so it doesn't matter if he doesn't put on a show for one conversation.

Something flickers across his face, before that mild smile is back. "I'm Sugawara, by the way. Thank you for the practise match, I know you had some influence with arranging it."

Oikawa waves his hand to brush off his thanks. "It's nothing, Suga-chan." There, that's more cheerful, one whole nickname.

The nickname registers as surprise on Sugawara's face, but he covers it quickly. "If you say so, Oikawa-san."

A nickname prompting formality, how droll.

"If your house is closer to here, why didn't you come to Seijou?" Oikawa asks, keeping his eyes on the skyline and not on Sugawara. The light is interesting at this time, all stretching shadows creating cool breezes.

"Oh, I-"

"Didn't get an invite?" Oikawa finishes for him in a fit of cruelty. "Ah, how sad! Though, I don't suppose you would have stuck with volleyball here."

Glee finds its way to Oikawa as he catches, with the corner of his eye, irritation pass over Sugawara's face.

"I don't suppose I would, no," Sugawara says, slowly, like he's trying not to let any negativity out. "You have plenty of members, as much as I enjoy playing, I don't think I would do well on your team."

 _Your team_ , like it belongs to Oikawa.

Oikawa feigns surprise, "I was just thinking that you wouldn't get a chance to play, not with me around, and Yahaba-kun coming along so well. I'm sure you would have found something to do to help the team. We always need people to collect the balls."

"Is that what you'll do, if you don't take care of that ankle?"

His words stop Oikawa cold. Sugawara said it like he said everything before, pleasant and neutral, but it hits all the harder for it. And Oikawa doesn't know how he knew it would have this effect. Oikawa's sure the injury isn't showing in his walk, and once he warmed up for the practice match he was playing the same as ever.

Sugawara walks a couple of paces before stalling and turning back to Oikawa, where he's trying to piece together a comeback but can't find the words.

"Sorry, that was mean," Sugawara says. "I didn't want-"

Oikawa snaps on his usual cheer. Because if Sugawara wants to dig in and then feel bad about it, he's going to stop seeing anything of Oikawa. Maybe if Sugawara hadn't apologised Oikawa could have kept himself as open as he ever gets, but _maybe_ isn't what happened. "It's fine, it's fine, Suga-chan," he says, waving off Sugawara's apparent concern. "But I have my body under control, there's no need to be concerned about me. Besides," he draws out the word, with a flash of a grin directly to Sugawara, "I'll get to show you how good a player I am for real at the interhigh."

"The rest of Karasuno," Sugawara corrects. "Kageyama-kun is the one you'll be playing."

Oikawa pauses. "You could find a way, I think. Tobio-chan isn't a very stable setter."

He shouldn't help his opponent like this - much less with some honesty - but either he's right and when Aoba Jousai play Karasuno he gets to have a break from staring down Kageyama, or he's wrong and he might start a conflict within their team.  
  
"He was stable enough to win today," Sugawara points out and Oikawa laughs in reply.

"I said Yahaba-kun is coming along, I didn't say he's ready to take over yet. You can't think that was really _Seijou_ can you, Suga-chan?"

"Is that an excuse, Oikawa-san?" Sugawara asks and his eyes dance, as if by being actively unpleasant once, he found his place with Oikawa, and he doesn't need to worry.

The worry for Oikawa is: Sugawara might be right and Oikawa is suddenly excited for the interhigh for more reasons than facing down Kageyama again.


End file.
